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When you talk about depression you need to talk about two kinds of depression. One type of depression is the depression caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. This is a pet peeve of mine. When someone has cancer we say, "That's too bad." When someone has diabetes we say, "Is there anything we can do for you." When someone has clinical depression we say, "Get with the program and snap out of it." Our society has a long way to go before understanding depression. So to answer the question "Is depression a lack of faith" the answer is no. Depression is no more a lack of faith than is cancer or diabetes. Unfortunately we see a connection between depression and a lack of faith because someone who is depressed can only see the darkness--to see the light is beyond their ability. If they tried harder could they see past the light? Perhaps, but that would be like saying to someone who has cancer "If you tried hard enough you could cure yourself." Now I'm not saying that God couldn't help them. But we should not be holding the nature of a disease against an individual (and make no mistake, clinical depression is a disease). What we do need to do is love and support that individual. I say this because no one likes to be around someone who is always negative. That's why we need to see it for what it is-a disease that takes away the light from a human heart. Just as we do not abandon someone who has cancer, we should not be abandoning someone who is clinically depressed. What we can do is encourage them to see a doctor who may have the wisdom to determine the right kind of medication that corrects the chemical imbalance. The second type of depression is the result of a loss: the death of a loved one, the break-up of a relationship, the loss of a job. The person is temporarily depressed, because they have suffered something heartbreaking. It takes time to heal that pain, and for a while that individual is living in darkness. Is that a lack of faith? I remember talking to someone and asking them if they had ever been treated by a counselor. They mentioned that eight years previous their father had passed away, they had lost their job and they were forced to move. My initial thought was, "If you're not depressed after getting hit with that kind of a hammer.then there is something wrong with you. Our hearts are surrounded by a lot of love; the love of God, and the love of friends and family. We need to remember that love has deep roots, and there may be times when the individual is rocked, and temporarily depressed, but it will be the deep faith in their hearts which will bring them out of their doldrums. Whether someone is clinically depressed or temporarily depressed, they are in need of our love, support and prayers. It is my most sincere prayer that we will not drop them like a hot potato; picking them up only when they are back to "normal."